Painter Amy Sherald has canceled her upcoming solo exhibition “American Sublime” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery after the museum considered removing her painting *Trans Forming Liberty* (2024), which depicts a Black transgender Statue of Liberty. The show was scheduled to open in September. Sherald stated she was informed of internal concerns about the painting and that discussions arose about replacing it with a video featuring reactions and discussion of trans issues, which she opposed over fears it would include anti-trans views. She wrote to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III that institutional fear shaped by political hostility toward trans lives compromised the integrity of her work.
This cancellation matters because it highlights escalating tensions between artists and major cultural institutions amid political pressure from the White House, which has reviewed Smithsonian exhibitions for alleged anti-American ideology. The Smithsonian, which receives about two-thirds of its $1 billion annual budget from federal funding, recently ended DEI programs and faced a hiring freeze. The incident underscores broader censorship concerns in the art world, as Sherald—a prominent artist known for her portrait of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor—chose to withdraw rather than compromise her vision. It also reflects a growing climate where institutional fear of political backlash can directly impact exhibition content and artist-institution relationships.